On November 8th, a student going through mental health issues attending Albion College was given a choice of taking a voluntary leave of absence, or being academically suspended. For 4 days the student attempted to communicate with the Dean of Students while in a mental hospital, yet on November 12th Campus Saftey took the student from the hospital to their room to pack up all of their belongings. This was a 3 hour period of packing up where they were not allowed to see any friend or partner to say goodbye. They were taken to the Campus Saftey office and from there was picked up by a friend and taken to a temporary residence off campus.

From this point the student continually attempted to get answers about the situation. This person was in direct communication with the Dean of Students, who continually denied every request the student made. The Dean of Students said no to every request to attend classes or at least one class, no to being able to work on campus in any capacity, and no to living on campus, and had their ID shut off to prevent any real access to campus facilities. There was a continual denial of any options to get back to everyday life and a lack of empathy towards the students mental health in every piece of communication. This was done so knowingly by the Dean of Students, and even now there is a clear lack of empathy and care towards the situation and the student.

The student has dual citizenship and does not live permanently in the United States. They have been working on campus, and is using much of the money made to pay for a therapist in their native langauge. As of today December 8th the student has again been denied any information as to what might happen in the near future, and has instead been told to wait until January 3rd until the 16th. The Dean of Students specifically said that he will review the situation during these dates, and that until that time the student cannot work, attend classes, live anywhere on campus, or register for the next semester.

A small campus like Albion College is meant to provide an individualized experience, and with this expectation comes the expectation of empathy in hard times and difficult situations. To deny a student at a small campus a normal life and to deny an awareness of what even the immediate future holds is severely detrimental to the students life and mental health progress up to this point.

To be told by the Dean of Students to wait constantly and then to be given no expectations or information of the future is something that is clearly wrong. If there is a real individualized and personal experience at Albion College, how can those in charge make blatantly harmful decisions towards its student's mental health?

For anyone that could possibly help in any way or with legal advice specifically, please contact the email below.

doyoucareaboutmentalhealth@gmail.com